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Alterac Mountains
The Alterac Mountains form the gigantic mountain range that lies at the center of the Lordaeron continent. Their position has insured themselves a prominent role through the history of the world. Geography and Climate The Alterac Mountains dwarf all other mountain ranges among the Eastern Kingdoms with the exception of the Mountains of Khaz Modan. They are speculated to have once been volcaneos that rose from the sea, expelling rock, soil, and the riches of the earth which formed the continent of Lordaeron. Numerous calderas and the existence of volcanic stone throughout the range lead credulity to this notion. The range, in its entirety, stretches from the Elem Hills of Silverpine Forest to the eastern coast of Lordaeron if you include the branching Aerie Mountains. They border the larger regions of the Tirisfal Glades, Silverpine Forest, Hearthglen Wood, and Darrowmere. At its widest point, the mountains stretch from the Hillsbrad Foothills to the Tirisfal Glades. The entire region has variable degrees of precipitation which leads to the contrasting weather conditions within the valleys. Some manage to maintain a temperate climate while others have something that could be considered polar. The highest peaks of the mountain range are almost always covered in snow. During summer, the snow melts in the regions between the nappe of the mountains and the highest peaks, this melting leads to the torrential force of rivers flowing into Lordamere Lake, Lake Andor, and Baradin Bay during the summer and sometimes into the autumn months. Branches The Alterac Mountains are so vast that they are divided into various mountain ranges. Locally, the common people tend to refer to the mountains by the name of the branch---with the exception being the people in the Hillsbrad Foothills that always refer to the mountains as the "Alterac Mountains." There are four major branches: the Southern Alterac Mountains, the Northern Alterac Mountains, the Aerie Mountains, and the Mountains of Arathor. The Southern Alterac Mountains are the highest of the four and tend to be the snowiest on their northern faces. They form the mountains that stretch from the Elem Hills to the Chillwind Valley. The northern boundary of the Hillsbrad Foothills is formed by this branch. The Northern Alterac Mountains comprise those that make up the southern boundary between the Tirisfal Glades and the Uplands, as well as the smaller arm that forms the boundary between Tirisfal and the Hearthglen Woods. These mountains are smaller than the Mountains of Arathor, yet because they consist of curtain-like stone cliffs, they are considered to be the most impassable. The Aerie Mountains consist of the mountains east of Chillwind Valley that form the cluster of mountains around the Wildhammer stronghold at Aerie Peak. The form the conventionally recognized border between Darrowmere Forest, the Hearthglen Woods, and the Hillsbrad foothills with the valley of the Hinterlands. These mountains have a high percipitation around the Wildhammer's holdings; however, that snow disappears from most of the mountains the closer they get to the warm sea winds blowing in from the east. The Mountains of Arathor are a range of sharp peaked mountains that divide the Arathi Highlands from the Hinterlands before curling down the Highlands' east coast. The Mountains of Arathor are relatively newer than the rest of the Alterac Mountains because they show fewer signs of erosion; yet, they emerged over the remnants of another ancient mountain range that had originally lifted th lands to create the Hinterlands and the Arathi Highlands. Valleys There are numerous valleys of formed by the Alterac Mountains. Those valleys that tend to lie between two branches of the primary mountain range are typically referred to as "greater valleys" and the others are merely considered ordinary valleys. The greater valleys formed by the Alterac Mountains include the vast region of the Hinterlands, the Chillwind Valley, the Valley of the Twelve, the Dalaran Lowlands, the Andorlands, and the Uplands. There are countless smaller valleys formed by eroded streams and ancient glacial tributaries. Some regions have more than others such as the Valley of the Twelve is actually comprised of numerous smaller glacial valleys whereas the western slope of Chillwind Valley has countless gulleys and dells formed by rivers and perennial streams that feed the melting snow of the mountains into the South Thondroril River. Category:Places Category:Mountains Category:Geography